Improved mode of raising sunken vessels



' fm/enf@ N. PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHEH. wAsHiNGToN. D. r;

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CASPER KROGH, OF KROGHVILLE, AND M. G. HOGNESS, OF IOWA COUNTY, WISCONSIN.

IMPROVED MODE OF RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 43,9! S, dated August- 23, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CASPER K'RoGH, of Kroghville, in the county of Jefferson, and M. G. Hoe-NESS, the county of Iowa, State of W'isconsin, have invented a new and useful Apparatus for Raising Sunken Vessels, 85e.;

and we do hereby declare that the following` is 'a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and letters of reference marked thereon7 which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 represents a side view of our lifter 3 Fig. 2, a vertical longitudinal sectional view; Fig. 3, a vertical transverse sectional view, and Fig. 4, a top View of our lifter when constructed in the form ot' a barge.

The same letters of referencerefer to the corresponding parts in the different figures.

To enable those skilled in the art to manufacture and use our invention, we will proceed to describe it with particularity.v

A is a rubber tube extending from the operator above the water to the lifter below, and when used in deep water it should always be covered with canvas to keep it from stretching.

B is a short metallic tube extending through the Walls of the lifter, being attached to it water-tight.

C is a flexible tube, with one end attached to the metallic tube B, and the other end so connected to the weight D as to be moved about by it.

D is a small Weight hung on the .iron rod E. In the top part of D there is a grooved roller, I, which rolls on the iron rod E. When the lifter is at all inclined, the roller I rolls on the rod E', carrying the weight D, and with it the lower end ofv the ilexible tube C, to the lowestpart of the lifter, thus keeping the end of said tube C 'under water as long as there is any in the lifter.

F and H are two tubes, each being entirely independentof the other, one extending through the walls of one end of the lifter and the other through the walls of the other end, and both extending in the inside of the lifter nearly to the end opposite to the one through which they pass. The ends of said tubes are covered by the valves J. There are two valves, J, one on each end of the lifter, cover- K K are two stop-cocks in the top of the lifter for the purpose of letting air in and out. The lifter is braced on the inside for the purpose of strengthening it, as shown by the braces b b. The lifter is firmly bound with bands M, and to said bands and braces b b the links N are attached, by which the lifter is fastened to the vessel to be raised, and also handled in moving said lifter. By the links passing through the end of the braces b the braces serve also as lifting-rods.

Fig. 4 shows the lifter constructed in the shape of a barge, to be used for the purpose of raising vessels over sand-bars or iioating them in shallow Water. f

A is the air-tube for admitting air.

The water may be forced up through the deck by means of' pipes O O, or discharged at the bottom, as above described.

Q is a valve for admitting the Water to sink the lifter when the tubes O O are used.

R R are air-compartments, and P a hatchway, which must be air-tight. When the Water is shut out of said lifter, it can be loaded at the hatchway as a common barge or canalboat. This lifter may be of sheet-iron or other suitable material, and of different forms and sizes to adapt it to the work to be performed.

The barge, when used for lifting vessels over bars or sailing in shallow water, should be braced from the farther side of the barge against the upper part of the vessel.

The operation of the lifter is as follows: To sink it in the water for the purpose of attaching it to the vessel or other object to be raised, the lifter is filled with water by opening the valves J to admit the water, and also the stopcocks K to allow the air to escape. When the lifter is sunk and firmly fastened to the object to be raised, the stop-cocks K are closed and the air forced in through the tubes A and C, which drives the water out through the tubes or pipes F and H. The weight D, being movable, keeps the end of the flexible tube C under water as long as there is any in the lifter, and thus prevents the air from rushing into the tube to escape. The arrangement of the tubes F and K are such that if the lifter becomes inclined from any cause and the Water settles at one end of it it Will still be forced out of the tube Whose end is Open inside of the lifter near the lower end of it. The lifter, filled with air, forms the power for raising the sunken Object.

Having thus'fully described the construction and operation of our vessel-raiser, what We claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination and arrangement of the tubes A, B, and O, when Operating substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination and arrangement of the rod E, the Weight D, and the tube C, when operating and constructed substantially as herein described.

3. The tubes or pipes F and H, when constructed substantially as delineated and set forth.

4. The braces b b, provided with the links N, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination and arrangement Of the tubes F and H and the valves J, when operating substantiallv as described.

CASPER KROGH. M. G. HOGNESS.

Witnesses to signature of C. Krogh:

G. W. BISHOP, OLE C. ERICKSON. Witnesses to signature of M. G. Hogness:

LEWIS B. CORBIN, J OHN H. DUDLEY. 

